Cloth or Disposable Diapers?

Cloth Diapers or Disposables? Environment Canada produces an online newsletter. EnviroZine , In Issue 45, dated August 5th, 2004 They answer the questions What are the environmental benefits to using cloth versus disposable diapers? What types of cloth diapers are available?. Read the full article here. Environment Canada has recognized Cloth diapers as the superior choice. Here are some highlights from their answers:

Before disposable diapers were introduced, all babies in North America were diapered in cloth. Within 10 years of the arrival of disposable diapers on the market, the number of cloth diaper users quickly dwindled to a mere 10 per cent.

While disposable diapers have made some progress in recent years to become less damaging to the environment – including a decrease in the amount of materials used, the introduction of more degradable materials and recent advances in diaper recycling – they still represent a burden to municipal landfills and continue to deplete natural resources. The reusable nature of cloth diapers reduces the solid waste problem, but creates other environmental concerns.

The concerns raised with cloth diapers are water and air pollution, mainly the water and energy used to wash and dry them. This concern is particularly relevant in areas with water shortages and in third-world countries where water is less available. Another concern is the higher level of wastewater particulates associated with using cloth diapers. Home laundering of cloth diapers produces greenhouse gas and other emissions from energy consumption in the dryer. Line-drying diapers when possible can help to offset these emissions. The waste from the cloth diaper is properly treated as sewage, while disposable diapers in landfills can be a breeding ground for a wide variety of viruses, including Hepatitis B and Polio from vaccines given to newborns. Also, the effluents from the disposable diaper manufacturing process (plastic, pulp and bleached paper) are more damaging to the environment than the cotton and hemp growing and manufacturing process.

Facts:
- Even when using disposable diapers, the contents should be emptied into the toilet so that the waste can be properly treated.
- In the first two years, the average baby will require between 5000 to 7000 diaper changes.
- Disposable diapers in landfills can prevent water from soaking to the ground. 
- Washing a load of diapers once or twice a week is roughly equivalent to flushing a toilet five times a day for a week.
- Cloth diapers encourage babies to potty train faster than disposables, because with disposable diapers, the babies seldom feel any wetness or discomfort.
- Using too much detergent when washing cloth diapers can cause build-up, reducing the absorbency.
- Over four million disposable diapers are discarded in Canada per day.

There are many benefits to using cloth diapers. As cotton allows air to circulate freely, cloth diapers are more comfortable for babies. They are also re-usable, which offers a considerable cost-savings and helps protect the depletion of natural resources. Since cloth diapers that are home washable and reusable are eligible for the EcologoM, Environment Canada has recognized them as a superior choice to disposable diapers.